The Return of Ladybug and Chat Noir
by DragonXIII
Summary: It's been over two years since Hawk Moth mysteriously disappeared, and neither Ladybug nor Cat Noir have been seen since. Marinette and Adrien are each adjusting to their new, "normal" lives in their own ways. But is Hawk Moth really gone for good? -I don't own the characters, but I love them as much as if I did. -cover image courtesy of torakun14 @ deviantart
1. Chapter 1

_"Beep... beep... beep..."_

Marinette rolled over and hit the snooze button on her alarm clock, blinking a little and trying to focus on the glowing numbers. Seven thirty, they said. That was important, but she couldn't quite remember why. As if on some unseen cue, the trap door in Marinette's bedroom floor popped open. Accompanied by the smell of fresh baking, a familiar face appeared in the opening, and Marinette peered down from the loft while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Good morning Marinette," Sabine called, smiling cheerfully at her half-asleep daughter. "Come down and get some breakfast, you don't want to be late for your first day, do you?"

"Mmm, morning mama," the sleep addled girl replied. "I'll be right down." Marinette rolled back over as Sabine retreated, closing the trap door behind her. _First day?_ Marinette struggled to understand as sleep washed over her again. _First day of what?_

"Marinette!" A shrill voice pierced the fog, and Marinette groggily forced her eyes open again to find the source. It wasn't hard, in fact it would have been difficult to miss the bright red kwami hovering not three inches from her face.

"Mmm, what is it Tikki?" Marinette moaned. "I'm still so sleepy."

"That's because you stayed up too late, again!" The kwami flitted back and forth in front of Marinette's face in exasperation. "And after you made such a big deal about not being late for your first day of university!"

 _University!_ That thought jarred Marinette completely awake, and she nearly tumbled from the loft in her hurry to extract herself from her blankets. As it was, she merely tripped on the last step coming down from the loft, and had to pull herself up short to keep from crashing into the full-length mirror at the stairs' foot.

"Marinette, be careful!" Tikki warned as she landed on Marinette's shoulder. "It's not worth being on time if you hurt yourself in the process."

"I know Tikki," Marinette said, "but I just want to get things right for once." Her shoulders sagged as hurried to her vanity to wash and apply her make-up. "It's not like I even have an excuse anymore. Since Hawk Moth disappeared, Paris hasn't needed Ladybug for over two years, and I've still managed to be late for the first day of school twice in a row." Marinette finished her make-up application quickly, she had never been one to wear much of it. She fixed her hair, and then crossed to her dresser.

"But if you had gone to bed when you were supposed to, you wouldn't even have risked oversleeping." Tikki left Marinette's shoulder and settled on top of the dresser so the girl could dress. "Instead, you stayed up late talking to Alya."

A sinking feeling overcame Marinette. Alya had been accepted at the Sorbonne University to study journalism, which was an opportunity that Marinette would never expect her friend to decline. Marinette herself, on the other hand, would be following her own passion, and had been accepted at ESMOD to study fashion design. Despite the fact that both of them would be following their dreams, Marinette was still a little depressed that she wouldn't be attending the same school as her best friend. Her disappointment must have shown on her face, because Tikki flew up and stroked her cheek in a friendly and comforting way.

"I know you'll miss Alya, Marinette," the kwami soothed. "But it's not like you'll never see her again. You'll both still be in Paris, and you'll always be friends."

"You're right Tikki," Marinette smiled.

"Besides," Tikki said a little slyly as she flew back to the dresser. "Isn't Adrien also starting at ESMOD this year?"

Marinette suddenly brightened, and she felt a blush warm her face. Adrien had overheard her telling Alya about her acceptance to ESMOD at the end of the last school year. He had congratulated her warmly, and even said he looked forward to seeing her there. "It will be nice to see at least one friendly face in a strange place," he had said, and her cheeks began to burn more fiercely as she remembered it.

Chloe had simply belittled the school, calling ESMOD "substandard", before storming off. Adrien had looked a little sad then, and explained that Chloe had applied to ESMOD herself, but had not been accepted, despite her father's influence. Marinette could hardly contain her joy. Not only would she be attending the same school as Adrien, but there would be no Chloe to get in the way.

Marinette finished dressing and turned to check herself in the mirror one last time. Satisfied with her appearance, she turned to Tikki. "Let's go Tikki, I feel like today is going to be just fine after all."

"That's the spirit Marinette!" Tikki zipped across the room and concealed herself inside Marinette's jacket, as usual. Marinette grabbed her bag and slipped down the stairs. She paused in the kitchen just long enough to grab a croissant and her lunch, and to kiss Sabine on the cheek. She dashed down into the bakery and smiled to herself when she heard her dad humming to himself as he kneaded a batch of dough.

"Morning papa," Marinette grinned.

"Ah, Marinette," Tom replied, turning from the counter with a warm smile of his own. "Off to school bright and early I see."

"Well, you know, ESMOD is a lot further from here than my other schools," Marinette said. "I really don't want to be late, so I decided to get an early start." In truth, Marinette had been practicing her route for weeks. Her middle and high schools had both been within walking distance of the Bakery, so she had never had such travel worries before. She had spent her summer vacation studying the metro maps and timetables, and knew just how to get there with plenty of time to spare.

Marinette pushed open the door of the Bakery, then stopped as she was greeted again by the new sign across the street. _Caesar's Bakery_ , it proclaimed, with a banner beneath it that read: _Grand Opening_. The banner must have been added early that morning, since it hadn't been there the night before. "When do they open?" Marinette asked over her shoulder.

Tom turned to the doorway and looked out past his daughter. "Next week," he replied, a look of distress passing over his face. "Frankly, I'm a little worried. These big chain places have a habit of driving us little guys out of business."

Marinette let the door swing shut and skipped over to her father. Jumping up and throwing her arms around his thick neck, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Don't worry papa, everything is going to be fine. You're the best baker in Paris. Those big guys don't stand a chance!"

Tom grinned at her and spun her around in his huge arms as if she was a doll, then set her back on her feet. "You're right Marinette. We can't let this get us down."

"That's my papa, the real baking hero," Marinette giggled.

"Of course!" Tom exclaimed, grabbing a baguette from the counter and brandishing it like a sword. "Super Baker will always come out on top!"

Marinette giggled again, then gasped as she saw the clock on the wall. "I've got to go papa, I can't be late today!" She dashed to the door as she waved goodbye. Down the street to the metro station at a dead run, she just made it in time to catch her train. As the doors slid shut behind her, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. The train ride lasted about twenty minutes, with one transfer, and when she exited the metro station Marinette was less than three blocks from her new school.

As she neared the corner where she would turn to reach the school, Marinette slowed and felt her heart rate jump, a fresh blush warming her face. Pulled up at the corner was a very familiar limousine.

* * *

Adrien stared out the window as the limousine made its way through the streets of Paris. Every so often, his eyes would drop to the silver ring on his right hand, and a fresh sigh would escape his lips. It was hard for him, especially since there was no one who could possibly understand. Hawk Moth had vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared, and Cat Noir hadn't been needed. Adrien supposed he should be happier for the change, his life wasn't constantly in danger anymore, and neither were the lives of countless Parisians. But no Cat Noir meant no Ladybug, and Adrien struggled to think of anything worse than the void her absence had left in his life.

Add that to the fact that he was now on his way to yet another place he didn't really want to go, and Adrien found himself having trouble caring about anything at all lately. Again, he supposed he should be happier. At least his father had finally relented and agreed to allow Adrien to attend university at all, instead of just focusing on his modeling career. As in all such cases, of course, the compromise was skewed to favor Gabriel Agreste. If Adrien had to attend university, it would be ESMOD or nothing. Gabriel himself was an alumnus, of course, and as the most prestigious school for fashion design and fashion business in Paris, possibly the world, nothing else would do for his only child.

"Adrien, are you even listening to me?" Nathalie's strict voice snapped Adrien out of his daydream.

"I'm sorry Nathalie, I must have gotten distracted." Adrien tried to sound sincerely apologetic, but found it difficult.

Nathalie shook her head disdainfully and sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't make me repeat myself," she said. "It wastes so much time, and your schedule is full enough as it is." She tapped her tablet a few times, bringing Adrien's schedule back to the beginning. "After your classes have finished for the afternoon, we will pick you up at the corner where we're dropping you off. The street the university is on is too narrow for the limousine, so the corner will be our rendezvous from now on. Your afternoon schedule is quite full, so it is critical that you are on time after classes have ended. Now..."

Adrien began to stare out the window again, but he did pay more attention than before. At least, he paid enough attention to know that nothing had changed. Every minute of every hour of every day had been planned in advance. Despite being eighteen and starting university, Adrien still couldn't claim to have anything resembling a normal life. He continued to mostly tune Nathalie out as the trip neared its end, only starting to fully pay attention again as their destination came into sight.

"...and your father's flight has been delayed. He will be returning tomorrow, rather than this evening. He asked me to apologize for him, but this delay means that he won't have time for your supper together for at least another week, as your schedule and his own conflict for quite some time to come." Nathalie finally finished just as the limousine pulled up to the corner.

"Of course," Adrien sighed. "Tell him I understand." _Not like it's news to me,_ he thought to himself. Gabriel's trip to Rome had already been extended more times than Adrien could remember, what was one more little delay? At first it was only supposed to be a week in Rome to launch a new Spring collection. Then a week had become two, then a month, then three. Finally, after over two years, Gabriel was coming home, so who cared about one last delay? _Business as usual,_ Adrien mused as he opened the door of the limousine and stepped out.

A little ray of light finally managed to pierce Adrien's depression as he glanced down the street. He'd recognize those pigtails anywhere. He waited on the corner as the limousine pulled away, smiling at the approaching figure who he considered one of his best friends in the world.

"Hi Marinette," Adrien said as she walked up to him, offering her a brilliant smile. "Long time, no see."


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette could feel her heart pounding in her throat as she approached the corner. The limousine had pulled away, but Adrien was just standing there, waiting for her. He was looking perfect, as usual, with his father's stylish designs and his hair just a little tousled. Marinette took a deep breath as she walked up to him. _Ok,_ she thought, _you can do this, just focus._

"Hi Marinette," his smile was enough to make her legs melt a little. "Long time, no see."

"Adrien!" Now that it was happening, she wasn't so sure she could handle it after all. As long as she'd known him she'd been getting tongue tied trying to talk to him. Even after almost four years in the same class, things just never seemed to improve. "Yes, see you long... I mean, long see... I mean..." Marinette's shoulders slumped and she sighed. _Yup, nailed it again._

Adrien didn't seem to notice. "It's so good to see you Marinette," he said as they started walking up the street toward ESMOD. "How was your summer?"

"Yes, good," Marinette replied. _Keep it simple,_ she told herself. "You?"

"It was fine," Adrien smiled as he said it, but for a second Marinette detected a hint of sadness in his voice. "Of course, summer vacation is never really a vacation for me. I still had fencing lessons, piano lessons, Chinese lessons, not to mention the photo shoots." Now it was Adrien's turn to sigh a little. "To be perfectly honest, I'm almost looking forward to class, even if..." But he trailed off without finishing the thought.

"Even if what?" Marinette asked, her shyness forgotten in her concern.

"It's nothing." Adrien smiled again, waving his hand to indicate that it really wasn't important. "You must be excited to start though. You've been passionate about fashion design for as long as I've known you, so this must be like a dream come true."

"Yes, it is," Marinette answered, letting her concern go for the moment. She could tell something was bothering Adrien, but she didn't want to push and make him uncomfortable. "Ever since I can remember I've wanted to be a designer."

"Well, you're already one of the best designer's I know," Adrien said. "I remember that derby you designed three years ago, even my father was impressed with it."

"And how is your father?" Marinette took the opening, hoping to discover what it was that was bothering him.

"He's, well, he's the same as always, I guess." Adrien looked away from Marinette as he spoke. "Still in Rome, of course. He was supposed to be back today, and we were going to have supper together to celebrate my starting at ESMOD. He was delayed though, and won't be back until tomorrow."

"I'm sorry Adrien," Marinette knew that Adrien's relationship with his father was more than a little complicated. "I'm sure that whatever delayed him must have been important."

"Of course," a little anger crept in to Adrien's voice, but he managed to keep it under control. "It's always important. Running one of the world's largest fashion empires keeps him very busy."

Marinette didn't know what else to say, so she just kept quiet. Their conversation drifted to other topics of mutual interest, like Nino and Alya. After years of dancing around one another, the two had finally started dating at the end of the last school year. With Adrien's busy schedule, he hadn't seen as much of his best friend as he would have liked, but Marinette was happy to fill him in on all the latest news. Like Alya, Nino was attending the Sorbonne, but for film making. Alya still hadn't given up on Ladybug, despite the fact that the heroine hadn't been seen in over two years. The Ladyblog was going strong, backed up now by Nino's near professional camera work.

Adrien seemed saddened when the conversation turned to the absent superhero, so Marinette dropped it, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the school and entered the atrium, Marinette's jaw dropped. She had never been inside before. Her entrance interview had been conducted off site, and she had never actually gone in when she was practicing her travel route. The atrium was bright and airy, rising three stories above their heads to a ceiling that was really a massive skylight. Intricate, wrought iron railings surrounded the upper levels, and the floor of the atrium was littered with mannequins displaying some of the best student designs from last year's graduating class. The place felt more like a museum than a school.

Marinette walked slowly, craning her neck around as she tried to take everything in at once. Adrien, on the other hand, had clearly been there before, and seemed somewhat unimpressed by the grandeur of the place. There was a small crowd gathering in the center of the atrium, the new students of ESMOD, awaiting their orientation. A thin, elegantly dressed woman held up a clipboard and was calling them all to attention. Marinette and Adrien hurried to join the group, apparently they had made it just in time.

* * *

Orientation lasted most of the morning. The students were given a tour of the school and its facilities, and class timetables were handed out. Marinette and Adrien didn't have many of the same classes, since she would be studying fashion design, and he was enrolled in ESMOD's business program. There was a little crossover, but not much.

After orientation the group split, with the design students going off in one direction, and the business students in another. Marinette and Adrien agreed to meet up for lunch, then followed their respective groups. Adrien tried to make the best of things, but it was difficult. He hadn't really wanted to come to ESMOD at all. He wasn't sure what he would have done instead, but he knew that whatever it was, it was nothing that his father would ever approve of.

The rest of the morning passed slowly. Not much was accomplished during the first day of classes. In each of the various classrooms, a different professor took roll, just to make sure that everyone was in the right place. Then came the course goals and expectations, outlining what each class hoped to accomplish and what was expected of the students during their time there. Most of the students looked about as excited about all of this as Adrien felt.

When lunch time finally rolled around, Adrien was exhausted. _How many times am I going to have to listen to the same speech today?_ He wondered as he made his way to the cafeteria to meet Marinette. The ESMOD cafeteria was not the average school cafeteria, mainly because instead of long, banquet style tables and benches, it was filled with small, bistro style tables, each with between two and four chairs. Adrien pulled himself together and put on his best smile as he saw Marinette waving him over to a table.

They swapped stories over lunch, laughing about how similar their early experiences were despite being in different programs. Marinette's excitement was somewhat infectious though, and Adrien found himself truly warming up to the experience. Lunch ended all too soon, however, and the two went their separate ways to their afternoon classes.

* * *

Somewhere in Paris, a dark figure stood in a dark room. It was completely silent, though the figure sometimes imagined that he could hear the flutter of wings around him. It was time. More than two years had passed, but he had never given up. He had been watching, waiting, biding his time. Now it was time to begin again, and this time, nothing would stand in his way. Through the whole day he had stood there in the darkness, allowing his mind to wander freely through the streets of Paris as he felt for that perfect blend of fear, anger, sadness, and pain. When he found it, an evil smile played across his lips. _How interesting,_ he thought. _After all this time, that place is still the perfect breeding ground for suffering._

Pulling his focus back to his surroundings, he raised his head. The shutter on the skylight above him spiraled outward, letting in the piercing daylight which caused the butterflies around the figure to scatter around him in flight.

"Children can be so cruel. Teasing. Bullying. So much pain for one so small." He reached out and caught one of the fluttering butterflies, directing the power from his Miraculous to fill it with his evil energies. Then he released it, and now it flew with a purpose towards the small opening in the center of the skylight. "Fly my evil akuma, and help that child teach his tormentors that size isn't everything."

* * *

Classes at ESMOD finally ended, and by the end of the day even Marinette's excitement had begun to drop. She had listened attentively, and taken notes in every one of her classes, but they hadn't actually _done_ anything all day. She supposed that was to be expected. After all, it was only the first day, and the introduction to how things worked at ESMOD was probably just as important as anything else. She was looking forward to seeing Adrien again after classes. Over lunch he had explained that he would have to leave immediately at the end of the day, because of his busy schedule, but at least they could walk back to the corner together.

As she left her last class, her purse began vibrating, and she snapped it open to pull out her cell phone. The screen showed Alya's smiling face. _That's weird,_ Marinette thought, _she usually just texts me when she's got something to say._ She tapped the screen.

"Hey Alya," Marinette greeted her friend, "how was your fi..."

"No time Marinette!" Alya's voice was sharp and excited. "You're not going to believe what's happening at Collège Françoise Dupont right now!"

 _Our old middle school?_ Marinette was confused. "Calm down Alya, what's going on?"

"I picked it up on a news broadcast just a few minutes ago," Alya explained. "There's this huge disturbance down there. Some guy's been blasting people with some kind of energy and shrinking them. Did you hear me? SHRINKING THEM!"

Marinette had to pull the cell phone away from her ear as Alya shouted. "What are you talking about Alya?" Marinette asked, her voice shaking a little, not wanting to accept what she was hearing. "Do you mean, like, a villain?" Her voice dropped as she asked, almost to a whisper.

"That's right girl!" Alya's excitement could not have been more obvious. "First one in over two years! And where there's a villain, Ladybug and Cat Noir can't be far behind. The Ladyblog is back in business!"

"No Alya," Marinette pleaded. "It's too dangerous. You should just stay away and let them handle it."

"Are you kidding me?" Alya asked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "The Ladyblog's first scoop in over two years, and you expect me to just stay away? Nuh uh, no can do. Nino and I are on our way there right now. We'd be there already if only he'd drive faster!" This last part was clearly directed not at Marinette, but at Nino himself. "Just wanted to let you know to keep your eyes on the Ladyblog! See you girl."

The line disconnected, and Marinette sagged against the wall. So much for walking to the corner with Adrien. She'd have to tell him she was held up after the last class. Luckily, he'd be in a hurry, so he wouldn't be able to wait for her. Looking around for another way out, Marinette spotted the door to a staircase. Dashing through it, she took the stairs two at a time towards the roof. Emerging into the daylight, she looked around quickly to make sure no one was around.

"What's going on Tikki?" Marinette snapped open her purse where Tikki had napped during most of the tedious afternoon classes. "I thought Hawk Moth was gone, but now there's a new villain?"

"We never knew what happened to Hawk Moth, Marinette," Tikki explained. "We only knew that he had disappeared."

"I guess so," Marinette sighed. "I suppose it was too much to hope for that he would be gone for good. A guy like that would never really give up."

"Nope, he never will. Come on Marinette, time to get to work."

"Ok Tikki," Marinette braced herself, surprised at how easily it all came back to her. "Spots on!"

The power of her Miraculous spread through her like the warmth of a fire. Energy swirled around her as she transformed from average teenager Marinette Dupain-Cheng, into Paris' beloved superhero, Ladybug. Once the transformation was complete, she looked down at herself and marveled at the suit that fit her like a second skin. She was a little taller than she has been the last time she had worn it, and certain parts of her body had filled out more. But that didn't seem to matter, the skin tight, one piece suit still fit just as well as the first time she had worn it.

She stepped up to the edge of the roof, praying that she hadn't forgotten too much. Then she jumped, whipping her yo-yo around as she did. _Just like riding a bike,_ she thought. She swung between buildings and ran across rooftops, traversing the city faster than any conventional mode of transportation could possibly hope to achieve. Within minutes she reach the familiar neighborhood surrounding Collège Françoise Dupont, and could even see the school itself in the distance. She stopped about a block away, on a rooftop where she could survey the scene.

At first she couldn't understand what was going on. Alya had said that she'd heard about the attack from a news broadcast. _So where are the news vans?_ Ladybug wondered. News vans weren't the only things missing, however. When a villain attacked, you came to expect certain things, like police, and panicked bystanders, but the street before her looked strangely empty. Then the villain came into view. He was huge, probably over ten feet tall, but skinny, as if someone had simply taken a smaller person and stretched them out. He was dressed in a purple and gold outfit that clashed horribly, and was carrying what appeared to be an over-sized water gun. As she watched, he walked up to a large jar that was sitting on the school steps and dropped something into it, laughing as he did.

With a jolt of horror, Ladybug realized that the jar was filled with tiny people, people who had been shrunk, just as Alya had said in her phone call. Glancing around the street below her, she realized that the news vans, police cars, and bystanders were all there as well, shrunken down to less than an eighth of their normal size. Anger seized her, and she leaped from the roof of the building, flinging her yo-yo and swinging toward the villain. He saw her coming though, was prepared for it, and as she neared he turned and swatted her away with one giant hand. The massive strength behind the blow did not match his gaunt frame, and Ladybug flew through the air and tumbled to the ground.

A high, piercing laugh escaped the villain. "He said you'd come, and so you have!" The voice was shrill, but very loud. "I am the Minimizer! And once I've shrunk you down to size, your Miraculous will be mine!" The Minimizer brought his gun around to aim at Ladybug, who just had time to dive out of the way as he fired. The blast hit the ground just behind her, and she dove behind a nearby car for cover. The Minimizer remained undeterred, however, and merely fired another blast.

It was a little unnerving, seeing the car shrink right in front of her like that, and suddenly Ladybug was staring into the barrel of the Minimizer's gun. He laughed again, and Ladybug knew there was no escape. Just as he fired, Ladybug was hit in the side, and tumbled away from the Minimizer. Her arms and legs became tangled with those of another person, as the black clad figure that had saved her tumbled right along with her. They skidded to a stop some distance away, and Ladybug found herself flat on her back, looking up into the grinning face of Cat Noir.

"Milady," he all but purred, "long time, no see." He closed his eyes, pursed his lips and leaned in as if to kiss her. Instead, Ladybug simply put her hand over his face and pushed him away.

"We don't have time for your games Cat Noir," she scolded. "We've got an akuma to catch." A sharp noise from the side had them leaping away from each other, just in time to avoid being hit by the Minimizer's latest shot.

"Of course Milady," Cat Noir called. "Business first, love can wait." He pulled out his baton and twirled it around, willing it to lengthen into a long staff. "So, where is the naughty little butterfly?"

Ladybug rolled her eyes at Cat Noir's antics, apparently he hadn't changed at all. _I mean, he's a little taller,_ she thought, but clearly he hadn't matured at all. "I don't know where it is!" The two were on opposite sides of the Minimizer now, dodging around him. With multiple targets to choose from, he seemed to be having more difficulty. They dodged around him, trying to get in close enough to attack, but whenever they did he would simply swat them away again. During one such attempt, however, Ladybug happened to notice a locket hanging around the Minimizer's neck.

"Cat Noir!" She called. "The locket!"

"Right!" He responded, dashing in for another attack, which was quickly thwarted. During the brief distraction, Ladybug spun her yo-yo around and tossed it into the air.

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, and swirls of pink energy burst forth from the yo-yo, materializing above her head into an object which fell into her hands.

"A golf club?" Cat Noir called, disbelievingly. "What are you supposed to do with that?" Ladybug shook her head as she looked at the bright red club covered in black spots, she didn't have any idea either.

"Keep him distracted for a minute while I try to figure this out!" She shouted, jumping away from the fight and casting her eyes around desperately.

"Just like old times," Cat Noir grinned. He spun his staff around and launched a blinding flurry of attacks against the Minimizer, keeping his attention fully occupied while Ladybug considered her options.

 _I guess that's another thing that hasn't changed at all,_ she thought. Her Lucky Charm had always been unpredictable and cryptic, but she knew there had to be something, there was always a reason the Charm gave her what it did. Her eyes fell on the jar with all the people in it, and she was suddenly curious. There were plenty of shrunken people around, police officers, reporters, bystanders, all hiding behind shrunken police cars and news vans. _So why put only some of them in the jar?_ Then it hit her. The ones in the jar were important to the Minimizer, people he wanted to keep contained for his own reasons.

The Minimizer was still between her and the school though, so there was no way to get to the jar. Her eyes fell to the golf club again, then lighted on an object near her feet. It was a ball, maybe twice the size of a golf ball, and Ladybug wondered where it could have come from. Then she realized that it wasn't a golf ball at all, it was the new statue that had been installed in front of the school last year, a solid bronze globe almost three feet in diameter. It had been shrunk, like so much else in the street, by the Minimizer.

"Get ready to break the locket Cat Noir!" Ladybug called out as she took a stance next to the sphere, golf club in hand. She had never golfed in her life, and could only hope that the power of the Lucky Charm wouldn't fail her now.

"You got it!" Cat Noir leaped away from the Minimizer, thrusting his right hand into the air. "Cataclysm!" Black energy swirled around his outstretched hand, and he braced himself for whatever was to come. At the same moment, Ladybug swung the golf club, connecting solidly with the bronze globe, sending it hurtling through the air. Whether through some undiscovered athletic talent, or simply through the magic of the Lucky Charm, the ball flew unerringly through the air, and connected with the glass jar.

At the sound of the glass shattering, the Minimizer spun towards the school, screaming in frustration. "NO! No, don't let them escape!" Cat Noir leaped into the air, spinning a perfect somersault over the Minimizer's head. His right hand shot down as he passed over the villain, grasping at the chain around his neck, which promptly disintegrated under the power of the Cataclysm.

The Minimizer fell to his knees as the locket broke and the small dark butterfly fluttered away from its shattered remains. _This part I remember,_ Ladybug smiled to herself as she pulled out her yo-yo. "No more evil-doing for you, little akuma." She spun the yo-yo around, then sent it hurtling towards the small black bug. "Time to de-evilize!" The akuma was trapped, and the yo-yo snapped back to Ladybug's hand.

She held the yo-yo in her hand and breathed a sigh of relief. It was her first fight in over two years, but it had gone just as well as she could have hoped. The yo-yo split open in her hand, and a small white butterfly fluttered out. "Bye bye little butterfly." Tossing the golf club into the air, she called upon the greatest of her powers, "Miraculous Ladybug!" The golf club burst apart in a shower of ladybugs and swirling pink energy. Everything was quickly restored to normal. People, cars, and various other objects were returned to their normal sizes and places. Where the Minimizer had been was a small boy, barely four feet tall, clutching the restored locket and crying.

Ladybug went over to him and knelt beside him. "What happened?" She asked comfortingly.

"It's my first day," the boy sobbed. "The older kids were making fun of me because I'm so short."

"Aww, don't feel so down about it," Ladybug soothed. "There's nothing wrong with you the way you are now. I mean, if everyone were the same height, the world would be a pretty boring place. Besides, you're still growing, right? I bet that one day, you'll be the tallest one of all."

The boy chuckled a little, and Ladybug walked over to Cat Noir. "Pound it!" They said in unison, knocking their fists together. Just like old times.

"Well, now that that's settled," said Cat Noir slyly. "How about that love?" He reached out to grab Ladybug, who put one hand on his face to hold him away, and with the other hand grabbed his right wrist just as his ring beeped.

"Saved by the bell, I guess," laughed Ladybug. "We'd better get out of here before we change back. See you next time Cat." She smiled at him, and before he could protest, she tossed her yo-yo and swung herself away.

Cat Noir stood in the street for a moment longer, staring after her, a look of pain darkening his face. Then the moment passed, and he chuckled to himself. "Yeah, see you next time." Then he left as well, feeling happier than he had in a long time. _Sure, Hawk Moth might be back,_ he thought, _but maybe this time I'll actually get the chance to tell her how I really feel._


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the first week of school passed with little incident. Adrien accepted Marinette's story about being held up at the end of the first day, apologizing himself that his busy schedule had made it difficult for him to wait around after class. In truth, he had gotten in a fair amount of trouble with Nathalie when he didn't show up at the corner to be picked up in the limo. He had still made it to his first after-school activity on time, but had to make up a story about taking the train, since he couldn't very well tell her that he had been off fighting the Minimizer as Cat Noir.

The Ladyblog was receiving more attention than ever since the recent fight. Even though Alya and Nino had both been shrunk shortly after arriving on the scene, they hadn't stopped recording the action. The perspective of the footage was a little strange, since they had only been a few inches tall at the time, but the quality didn't suffer for it. Nino's camera work was nothing short of professional, as usual, and Alya provided the commentary of a seasoned reporter. Theirs was some of the only footage of the incident that was usable, since most of the professional news teams had panicked and fled after being shrunk. The lack of decent footage from any other source effectively made the fight against the Minimizer a Ladyblog exclusive.

With the first day's introductions complete, classes at ESMOD picked up their pace immediately, though Marinette found herself a little disappointed. Since she had been working as an amateur fashion designer for so long, she found the work fairly simple. She shouldn't have been surprised, she realized, the first year courses were designed for people with little to no actual experience after all. They hadn't started any major projects, of course, mainly focusing on the foundations of fashion design; shapes of collars and necklines, shapes and lengths of sleeves, shapes and lengths of skirts, not to mention color. Marinette simply worked through the days using all of the knowledge and experience at her disposal, and quickly impressed every one of her professors.

Adrien was doing equally well in his classes, though with far less enthusiasm. He couldn't get his mind off Ladybug. Of course, his thoughts also spent a lot of time on Hawk Moth; even more mysterious than his disappearance over two years ago, his sudden return raised a lot of questions to which Adrien had no answers. But it always came back to Ladybug. For over two years Adrien had lived with the regret that he had never managed to properly tell her how he felt about her. When Hawk Moth disappeared, taking Ladybug and Cat Noir with him, Adrien had given up hope of ever getting the chance.

* * *

"Thank goodness it's Friday Tikki," Marinette said as she washed her hands in the bathroom between classes. The first four days of classes had been a breeze, but the professors at ESMOD seemed to be making up for it now. So far she had received more homework for the weekend than she had received during the previous days combined. Before Monday she had to complete no fewer than eight full-color sketches, three sewing patterns, and two essays. "This is more like what I was expecting from a school like ESMOD, but all this homework isn't going to leave me much free time."

"And now that Hawk Moth is back," Tikki reminded, "you will probably be busier than ever."

Marinette groaned, "yes, let's not forget about that. Why is he back Tikki? And where did he go in the first place?"

"I don't know Marinette," Tikki replied. "His disappearance was so sudden, there's no way to know why he left. As for why he's back, that should be obvious."

"Of course," Marinette's eyes studied the plain black earrings in the mirror over the sink. "He never got his hands on the Ladybug Miraculous. His work isn't finished."

"That's right. And he won't stop until he gets it and the Cat Miraculous both." Tikki's small voice was filled with fear. "We can't let that happen, no matter what."

Just then, the bathroom door opened and two girls entered. Tikki darted out of sight into Marinette's jacket. Marinette dried her hands and left to attend her remaining class of the day.

* * *

"It just doesn't make any sense Plagg," Adrien said, sitting in the back of the limo with the sound-proofed divider between himself and his driver. His last class on Friday was a free period, but that didn't mean he had free time in the afternoon. He was on his way to fencing, but Nathalie was not with him because she was working with Gabriel that afternoon instead. "Hawk Moth was gone, wasn't he? I mean, he completely dropped off the map. Not one sign of him for over two years, and now he's just suddenly back?"

"Relax kid," the small black kwami replied between bites of foul-smelling Camembert. "You're over-thinking this. He probably just needed a break for a while, right? I mean, you and Ladybug did beat him over and over again. That would take the fight out of anyone, wouldn't it?"

Adrien grimaced at Plagg's lack of helpfulness and turned to stare out the window. _Where is she right now?_ He wondered, asking himself for about the millionth time, _who is Ladybug?_ He had always suspected that Ladybug might be someone he knew, but he just couldn't say who. They were certainly around the same age, weren't they? It had always seemed that way before, and they seemed to have aged the same amount in the past few years. A blush warmed Adrien's face as he remembered seeing the older Ladybug in the fight against Minimizer. Her suit had always been form-fitting, but now she had so much more form for it to fit to.

Adrien shook his head to clear it, now was not the time for such thoughts. He had to focus, and figure out exactly what he was going to say to Ladybug when he finally saw her again.

* * *

Marinette returned home at the end of the day, stopping behind the counter to give Tom a kiss on the cheek. The Bakery would be open for another hour or so before closing for the day, but Marinette needed to get started on her homework. She had agreed to meet Alya and Nino later that evening, but didn't want to leave all of her homework until the last minute. She went to her room and emptied her bag onto the desk. Quickly sorting everything into piles, she tried to decide where to start. The essays would take too much time and concentrated effort, so she set those aside for the time being. She could get started on the sketches, but decided to leave those for Saturday afternoon, when she'd have more time to just relax and let her creativity flow. That left the sewing patterns.

The sewing patterns were a fairly basic assignment, and something that Marinette had been doing herself for years anyways. The instructor had given them all of the measurements and design specifications they needed, so all that the students were required to do was make the patterns themselves. Marinette laid out a large sheet of pattern paper on her work table and set out her tools next to it; pens, ruler, measuring tape, and scissors. She checked the details of her assignments and got to work.

Working with the skill and efficiency of a professional, Marinette measured, marked, and cut out her perfect patterns. In total, doing three of them took about two hours, and Marinette was very pleased with the results. She carefully packed them up and set them aside, happy that she had gotten them out of the way. She then turned her attention to herself. She was meeting up with Alya and Nino because Alya had an easy assignment for one of her journalism courses that required her to review a restaurant or bar. Alya had decided that she didn't want to do this alone, nor as a date alone with Nino, so she had invited Marinette along to hang out as friends.

As she was considering her wardrobe choices, Marinette's phone buzzed with a message from Alya. _"Hey girl, Nino and I might be a little late picking you up, we gotta make a stop along the way. ;)"_

 _"No problem, still getting ready, take your time. :)"_ Marinette replied to the message, and turned again to her wardrobe.

Another message came in. _"Make sure you dress nice, this place is super swanky!"_

Marinette frowned a little at that. Alya hadn't mentioned anything about the restaurant being fancy when they had discussed the trip earlier in the week. _Maybe she just forgot to mention it,_ Marinette shrugged it off. _At least that narrows down my choices._ She examined several articles at length, discarding some, and setting others aside for further consideration. Tikki flew around, commenting every so often, but mostly just watching.

Marinette finally settled on a dress that she had designed and made, but never worn. It was one of three dresses that she referred to as her "finalists". The finalists were three dresses she had designed and made during her last semester of high school as options to wear to her senior prom. She and Alya had spent a long and agonizing afternoon picking one of the three for Marinette to wear to the event, but that still left two that she had never worn in public. The dress she chose was one of those two. It was a long evening dress made of deep red silk chiffon. She had ultimately decided against wearing it to the prom because it was sleeveless, with only one shoulder, and she had felt self-conscious about wearing around her classmates. She had spent hours embroidering fine details into the bodice with gold thread.

She felt a little strange as she changed into it, since she had only ever worn it while trying it on in front of Alya. Possibly the strangest part about it was the fact that, with only one shoulder, it required wearing a strapless bra, which she was not accustomed to at all. Once Marinette was dressed, and wearing her best heels, the dress nearly reached the floor, with a slit that came halfway up her left thigh. She took out her pigtails and tied her hair up in a simple knot instead, using a few small clips to hold it in place. Finally, she tackled her makeup, choosing much darker tones than she usually would for day to day wear. Red for her lips, to match the dress, black eyeliner, and dark eye shadow completed the look.

"Wow, you look beautiful Marinette." Tikki said with awe.

"Thank you Tikki," Marinette replied, "but I feel a little ridiculous. I'd much rather wear my regular clothes. Oh well, if the place is really as fancy as Alya says, at least I'll fit in." She picked up a red, beaded clutch purse from her vanity, and snapped it open. "Sorry Tikki, it's a lot smaller than my regular purse, but there's really nowhere else for you to hide in this outfit."

"It's fine Marinette," Tikki giggled. "I don't take up that much space."

The kwami darted into the purse and, sure enough, she fit just fine. Just then, Marinette's phone buzzed again. _"We're here. Get down here girl."_ Marinette breathed deeply, tucked the phone into the clutch with Tikki, and wrapped a thin black shawl around herself, just in case of a chill. She descended from her room, and had to spend a minute or two suffering her parents' admiration before she was finally able to leave. Nino's car, a blue Peugeot, was parked in front of the Bakery, with Nino himself behind the wheel.

She had just opened the rear door and bent over to get in when she froze in horror, staring across the backseat at another passenger. He was dressed in dark gray suit, obviously custom-made, his golden hair and brilliant smile just as beautiful as ever.

"A..A..Adrien?" Marinette stammered as her cheeks darkened to match her dress.


End file.
